A Birder’s Take on Ecuador

I have been especially grateful for the focus that birding has afforded me in Ecuador. Some of my other reasons for being here can be difficult to conceptualize at times. “Improving my Spanish” is something difficult to see progress on. Similarly, “becoming a global citizen” is an equally slippery concept, and one that I will likely be working on for the rest of my life. Seeing birds, on the other hand, is concrete. Every new species of bird I see is exhilarating and something to check off on my life list. I wake up every day excited about what new birds I might have in store for myself.

In no way has Ecuador been disappointing in that aspect. Just the number of hummingbirds alone has been otherworldly. As an Environmental Science major, I’ve been able to geek out on all the new species possible in each different part of the country we’ve visited.

That Swainson’s Thrush will begin its migration in a couple of weeks from its wintering grounds here in South America and head to Canada to breed. Along its way it will stop in backyards all across the United States and fill our forests with song.

However, as somebody from the United States, I had only experienced a small part of this incredible journey, the fleeting pit stop. The lives that birds like this Swainson’s Thrush live when they are outside of the United States was a mystery to me. But after being in Ecuador, I’ve had the opportunity to experience the other half of these birds’ homes.

For the rest of my life, each spring when these birds return to the United States from Ecuador, I’ll think of SST and my time here. These migrants will forever be a reminder to me of the hospitality, kindness, and generosity we have been shown by each and every person we’ve interacted with.